On Tue, Aug 05, 2008 at 07:53:41AM -0400, Dave Phillips wrote:

> You should pick up and read completely a standard text on harmony.

Seconded. But note that the way harmony is treated in the classical
music and in the jazz traditions is not exactly the same. Not only
the terminology and notation are different, but also some basic
concepts. It can be very confusing to do both at the same time.
Also, going through the history of classical music, it's clear
that "harmony" is a moving target.

> I went through the harmony books by Walter Piston, Roger Sessions, and
> Arnold Schoenberg, but others here may recommend different texts. Which
> text you use doesn't matter so much, as long as you acquire a systematic
> understanding of the subject.

Paul Hindemith, "Traditional Harmony" is one, there are
many others.